But even though reducing and controlling immigration was perhaps the key issue for people voting in favor of a British exit from the EU, or Brexit, which won with 51.9% support, those two cabinet ministers say the target to reduce net migration to below 100,000 has been abandoned by May's new government.

When pressed by reporters to disclose the government target, Rudd said the government's "aim" was to reduce net migration to "sustainable levels," as cited by the BBC, The Guardian, The Telegraph, and others.

Johnson said it was "entirely right to be careful about committing to numbers because one doesn't want to be in a position where you are disappointing people again."

A representative for May told various media outlets that "sustainable levels does mean the tens of thousands." Again, however, there is no commitment to adhere to a specific target.

Amber Rudd. PA Images Net migration describes the number of people who have migrated to the UK minus the number who have left.

May's government, which took power just one week ago, appears to be abandoning more than just a key pledge that won the Brexit vote — the target of reducing net migration to below 100,000 was in the Conservative manifesto, and the Tories won a majority in the general election in 2015.

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, in its "Migration Statistics Quarterly Report," show that net migration to Britain in 2015 reached 333,000. This was an increase of 20,000 from 2014.